By now, most or all of us might have heard about ‘Pegasus’ the spyware that was used to spy on about 50,000 journalists from all over the world.
Let us see more about this spyware that is making headlines all over the world in this post:
‘Pegasus’ originally is a mythical white winged Greek horse who could travel anywhere where mortals could not go. The spyware has been so named because it installs itself on devices that no one can detect it easily!
Pegasus is a type of spyware. A “spyware” is a software that installs itself on an individual’s mobile device without their explicit permission and invades their privacy. It reads their sensitive information and tracks their Internet activity without their knowledge and relays it to third parties. It was originally discovered in 2016 and was created by the NSO group which is an Israeli company.
Just like human viruses, the Pegasus spyware has also changed itself with the times! 🙁 Up until 2019, Pegasus infected mobile devices by tricking users into opening malicious links and Whatsapp video calls were the primary culprit.
The new avatar of Pegasus however infects mobile devices through “zero click installations”( that is, the spyware is injected into the mobile device without any action being needed by the target !!) It just exploits vulnerabilities in the mobile OS that is not known widely.
The new version of Pegasus affects all types of devices but the iPhone devices have been targeted the most.
What can Pegasus do?
Once Pegasus installs itself on a mobile device, it can completely control your device. These are a few things that Pegasus can do:
- Copy your messages (Control your SMS, Emails and Whatsapp chats)
- Record your calls(control your microphone)
- Copy your photos(control your photos and videos)
- Film you through your camera(control your camera)
- It can locate you and also tell you where you have been along with the people you may have met(control GPS, Contacts)
Detecting Pegasus:
Is there any way to detect this notorious spyware? One can detect Pegasus from the app from Trail of Bits at https://www.iverify.io/ However, it is good to know that not everybody is targeted by Pegasus. There are other tools to detect Pegasus at GitHub as well but they maybe technical.
Safety tips to be followed:
While spyware, malware and other computer threats continue to evolve continuously, there are certain safety precautions that can be taken to be safe online. They are:
- It is good to not click on malicious or doubtful links
- It is also good to continuously install all security updates as and when they are available
- Do power off your phone atleast once a day
- Do not install unknown apps
- Uninstall all unused apps on mobile devices
- Install antivirus solutions
- Use a PIN to secure your device
These are some tips to keep your mobile device safe even though it is not an exhaustive list.
You can also hear this as a podcast at Spotify!
Here’s to a safe digital and personal life!
This is the first post for the #BlogchatterHalfMarathon by @Blogchatter